A Letter Changes Everything
by HaliceLove
Summary: Hatter writes a letter woven with love to Alice. Will it make her return? But what if she can't find Hatter? More importantly, what if she CAN? ooh-lala Rated T just in case.
1. The Letter

**Hatter writes a letter to Alice. **

_Dear Alice,_

_I'm writing to say that I'm truly not okay._

_I think you've forgotten me on the way because time has started again and I've yet to see your smile again._

_I thought I saw you yesterday. But it wasn't really you. I was just imagining things again. I do that quite often lately, you know._

_You know what else? My eyes aren't green any more. They don't change color. Ever. They're always gray. Always. _

_You learn a lot about how you look when you spend your day looking at frigid tea that you don't quite have the appetite to gulp anymore. _

_Why did you do this to me? You could've stayed. It's been years since you've been here. It's been years since I've been able to look into your beautiful eyes._

_But I guess that doesn't matter to you. For what could a mad hatter ever offer to you? How could I ever measure up to your muchness?_

_I hope you've enjoyed your time with China. Whoever that is. He's far luckier than me. At least you want to be with China. At least you'll stay with China._

_I'm begging here. Begging that maybe you'll leave China to come to Underland. I'd give you anything. I'd give you my muchness if it hadn't already faded away along with you. I think you took my muchness with you. And my heart. It's painful to have your heart taken away, I discovered. Please Alice, come back. Come back…_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Tarrant Hightopp_

As Alice read this letter over and over she could feel the tears spilling like tiny crystals from her wide eyes. The tears slid on to the letter, smearing every last dagger over a word. The words knifed through her heart, and she questioned why she had left. And if she could ever return. Return to Underland. Return to her home. Return to Tarrant.

But how? She was in China. All alone in a sea of people. All she had was this letter. A letter she held close to her heart.


	2. Where's Hatter?

Alice stared down at the letter, unsure of what to do. She could always return to England. But what if she couldn't find the Rabbit Hole? Then she'd throw away her job and her….love? She shook her head. No, she couldn't love the Hatter. Yes, yes she did, but she knew she didn't deserve him. Look what she had done to him!

She collapsed on to her queen sized bed, letter in her small sweaty hand, clutched on to like a lifeline. Funny how she let go of him so easily, but she couldn't part with the letter. A whisper rumbled in her throat, waiting to be admitted, she released it;

"I love the Hatter," whispered Alice, just so the letter could hear.

The letter glowed a brilliant green. As green as…the Hatter's eyes? Before she could marvel at the color, the letter exploded into colors. Alice's heart raced with anxiety and she closed her eyes tight. When she opened the again, an array of colors formed a circle. No, a portal. A portal to Underland! Alice didn't even think twice and tumbled into the portal.

Alice landed in a heap in Tulgey Woods. She moaned in pain as dirt crawled up her blue night gown.

"Always in blue…," came a mischievous voice from thin air.

Alice lifted her head and saw no one. Then Chess's head appeared right in front of her very eyes, TOO closely. She stifled and scream and fell backwards. Chess laughed and his famous smiled played along his face.

"My, my, what a jumpy girl. Oh Alice, dear Alice, could you be looking for Tarrant?" smiled Chess knowingly, blue eyes devious but attempting to look innocent.

"Why yes, yes I am. Could you lead me to him?" asked Alice politely, standing up clumsily and brushing of her dress. Chess disappeared for a moment then appeared behind her.

"Fraid' not," Chess drawled "You see, no one knows where he is."

"What? But he's only just written me this letter!" cried Alice, searching for the letter. Then she remembered it had transformed into a portal.

"Oh I know the letter you speak of. He sent that a year ago. He left to the Unknown, believing you'd never return," sighed Chess, body disappearing. Alice looked shamefully at the ground and permitted tears to fall from her face.

"How long have I been gone, Chess?" asked Alice, fearing the answer.

"Oh…seven years about," purred Chess, allowing his body to drift lazily in circles around Alice's distressed face.

Alice couldn't believe it. Seven years. She couldn't speak, so she turned on her heal and ran, ran with closed eyes. Chess called after her, but not a word was heard.

Alice found herself at a deserted tea party. The once messy table had nothing but a single cup of tea at the head of the table where Hatter used to sit. The rest was empty and looked of death. Alice didn't quite like this look, but admittedly, the only attraction of the table had been Hatter.

Alice walked cautiously to the end of the table and sat down in Hatter's chair. She tentatively swirled her finger in the ice-cold tea. Then she felt something soggy wrap around her finger. She pulled her finger out of tea cup in a haste.

Carefully, Alice lifted the small finger to her eyes and examined it. A small piece of paper encircled it, she pulled it off. She read the smudged words carefully. It read;

_Hidden by the day and exposed by night _

Now what could that mean? Alice slumped in the chair, frustrated and waited for the night to come. She after all, was a curious girl.


	3. Memories And Reflections Fade

Alice opened her curious eyes once again. It was night time and little bright stars decorated the dark black sky. She looked around. What was hidden by the night? _Curious and curiouser._

But that's when she caught a glimpse of something. Something green. A large brilliantly green eye stared at her from inside the tea cup. Alice shrieked and jumped out of the overstuffed chair. Cautiously, she stared down into the cup once again. She saw Hatter's pain stricken face, he looked as though he was a mere reflection in age old tea.

"Alice…," whispered the Hatter in the teacup.

"Hatter, what are you doing in the teacup?" asked an alarmed Alice, not daring to trust her own eyes.

"Oh Alice, dear Alice! You'll be so ashamed of me. So very ashamed. I did something very bad. Very naughty. Naughtier than when you weren't on time, so naughty that you perhaps shouldn't even look at me as I speak these words. Speak this terrible, awful, atrocious-" began the Hatter

"Hatter! Just tell me what you did. I promise, I won't be ashamed of you," assured Alice, waiting for the news.

"I made a deal with The Malignant Enchantress," began the Hatter, looking very ashamed. "She said that- that if I gave her something, you would return to Underland"

"What did you give her?" asked Alice, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"My life," said the Hatter, barely audible.

"Your life? Hatter! Without a life, you can never be with me now!" cried Alice, a mixture of pity and grief welling in her chest.

"Yes, I can. There's just one thing you have to do to get me back," sighed the Hatter, knowing that this way was quite impossible. OR he believed it to be.

"What can I do?" asked Alice, willing to do anything to get_ her _Hatter back.

But just then, the first light touched the sky. The once black sky had begun to show the ever-so-slight peak of the sun barely visible, but Alice knew it was too late. Sure enough, when she looked back at the teacup, the Hatter had disappeared out of the murky liquid and into the unknown.

Alice waited all day, just staring at the teacup, hoping he'd return. After hours, she began to reflect. She had done the same thing to Hatter. Left him to wait at a table for her to return, unsure of when he'd get to see her face again. Could he possibly love her after what she had done? Yes, she thought he did. But of course, Alice had thought many things in her life. Not all of them quite possible.

As night dawned back into Underland Alice waited patiently, staring intently at the teacup, messy golden locks wildly in her eyes, pale face covered in anxiety.

This night, the Hatter did not appear in the cup, but a single message did. In the tea cup, another scrap of paper floated to the surface of the tea. Alice quickly grabbed it out of the liquid and read it apprehensively. It read;

_He will not return. His reflection is fading. Find the Enchantress._

Alice could feel the tears welling up again. How could she possibly find this Enchantress she had never even heard of? If Hatter's reflection was fading, could he be gone forever? The questions swirled around her head faster than the tea she was swirling absentmindedly with her finger. She had to find the Enchantress. Had to.

"You called?" came Chess's voice from behind Alice's head.

"I did nothing of the sort," said Alice, confusedly. She had just been thinking Chess could lead her to this Enchantress.

"Ah, I know when I am needed. I will lead you to the Enchantress, but no further," offered Chess, floating away from the table, grin stretching across his face.

Alice wasn't hesitant. Anything for Tarrant. She got up from the seat she head so desperately waited by for many hours. Chess floated breezily down many paths, not even bothering to see that Alice was panting to keep up with him. He led her down Queast and many of other various roads Alice couldn't recognize.

When Chess stopped, Alice gasped at what she saw. A giant glass orb sat in an odd spot in the road, full of white gas, spurting out in every which direction, as if trying to escape the globe. The circular odyssey was about the size of 50 average houses molded into a globe.

"This…is the Enchantress's castle," whispered Chess, appearing beside the gaping Alice.

"How do I enter?" asked Alice, eyeing the building unsurely.

"To enter…You must give whatever the guard asks you to give," said Chess, disappearing and not coming back this time.

Alice gulped and trudged slowly up to the door. A guard stood by the door. He…was the guard a he? _It_ had no face. Just a blank pure black head and stubby body. But somehow, the guard looked quite menacing.

"What must I give you to enter?" gulped Alice, staring down at the guard.

"Just a few memories," spoke the little guard in a dark, raspy voice. That didn't seem so bad. Alice nodded and closed her eyes. The little guard waved its hand.

When Alice opened her eyes, she couldn't even remember why she was here in the first place.


End file.
